help please, i need a nudge to progress (fyi: tech spoilers)

[fidelio]

haven't found anything new in probably the last 50 hours of gameplay and am struggling to keep interest, but haven't finished the game. feels like i'm just wandering about.

at least the last half dozen or more data boxes i've found just had titanium inside. haven't found any tech i don't already have.

afaik:
my vehicles are completely upgraded with depth modules, sonar, grappling, drilling, etc (missing ion cells tho)
opened the warp gate between enforcement island and floating island but haven't found anywhere else to insert an ion cube but have seen probably 4 other 'gates' (including the dry cave near pod 7)
found the degassi base and hatched the cuddlefish
have yellow tablet tech but only found the research facility to open with the one picked up at degassi base.
explored the lava zone and found what i think is probably the power facility but don't have the blue tablet to go in.
built a base at the egg tree
built the neptune platform to the point i need ion cells (which i can't find)

my radio hasn't had any messages in what seems like the last 60 of my 160 hours of playtime, and i'm getting fairly discouraged at not knowing how to progress.

a nudge rather than a spoiler would be nice if at all possible.

what am i missing? i'm just wandering around building/rebuilding bases and scanner rooms looking for wrecks at this point and only finding stuff i already have and no more story.

thanks for reading

[Cougarific]

You need to fully explore the Thermal Plant in the Inactive Lava Zone and another facility that's even deeper to advance the story.

[fidelio]

the facility i found with the blue tablet entrance was at 1450m, but dunno where to find the tablet.

keep looking in the same area?

thanks for the reply

(edit: it's so dark and the lights on the prawn suit so dim it's so hard to tell where there's a path and if i've been somewhere before. wish the prawn suit had sonar)

[worstcase11]

The base at 1450m is a bit too deep that is the 'active' lava zone - there is another base somewhere on the level above that (in the 'inactive' lava zone) you have to find first.

[Cougarific]

^Read your PDA "DATA" entries for info on "Alien Facilities" that may give you "CLUES" to help find it.

[fidelio]

thanks guys, guess i'll go fumble about in the dark lol (ugh)

see this is what makes steam great, yeah it's a store, but it's a large and helpful community which those other suckers don't have.

thanks again.

[bigj2002]

With in the lava castle there is a thermal plant that has the blue tablet in there. From there you will need to make one more for a section of the final building. Hope this helps.

[Bubba Fett]

The prawn suit isn't the best option for exploration since you don't move very quick. Set it's Icon to a color that's easy to see and get out and swim. You can cover more territory then just go back to the suit for more air.
There's also a bunch of warpers in the inactive lava zone that will pull you out of the suit. Then the suit sinks. If it lands in a lava pool it's gone. :^(

The ion power blueprints and blue tablet are found in the same structure, but you'll need 2 purple tablets to get both.
If you take the prawn there, you should probably have the drill arm and grapple arm installed. The jump jet upgrade is also helpful.

The other gates you've been finding are probably destinations for the ones in the hatching facility.
(the place that needs the blue tablet to enter)
There's a total of 5 that go to other biomes and a sixth that just takes you to a different spot in the same structure.

[Cougarific]

Originally posted by Bubba Fett:

The prawn suit isn't the best option for exploration since you don't move very quick.

It's actually been proven to be the fastest vehicle in the game *if you get good at using it*.

400 hours and I never got good at using it, but with a little practice, it's not slow.

[Bubba Fett]

Originally posted by Cougarific:

Originally posted by Bubba Fett:

The prawn suit isn't the best option for exploration since you don't move very quick.

It's actually been proven to be the fastest vehicle in the game *if you get good at using it*.

400 hours and I never got good at using it, but with a little practice, it's not slow.

Apparently I'm not very good at using it either cause I can't imagine getting around quicker than with the seamoth. (even with a pair of grapple arms on it)